Morning Light – November 29th, 2017 – Micah 04: The Mountain of the Lord’s Hours

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Today: [Micah 4] The Mountain of the Lord’s House. After depicting the dark ruin of the southern and northern kingdom, Micah, in chapter 4 extends a far-reaching vision of a coming Messiah, and the establishment of the rule of God, not just over a limited jurisdiction, but over all the earth age without end.
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[Mic 4:1-13 KJV] 1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, [that] the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make [them] afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken [it]. 5 For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever. 6 In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; 7 And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. 8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem. 9 Now why dost thou cry out aloud? [is there] no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. 10 Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go [even] to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. 11 Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. 12 But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. 13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.
Chapter 3 of Micah concludes with a prophecy depicting the total ruin of both the northern and southern kingdoms. The picture could not be more bleak. In order to properly understand it we have to consider the fact that God’s dealings with the Israelites at this time constituted His entire active involvement with mankind up to this point. There was no alternative plan or purpose revealed other than hints in various passages of the prophets regarding Messianic hope in the end times. As we turn to chapter 4 we have the stark contrast from utter darkness and despair to brilliant hope and expectation not only for the people of God under the Old Covenant economy but for all peoples of the earth. The mountain (or prominence) of the house of the Lord (the government of God) will be established above all the earth and all people, not just the Jewish people will flow into it. Here the door of salvation is opened not just to the seed of Abraham but to all the nations of the earth that will say “come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and He will teach us of His ways and we will walk in paths…” What are the ways of God? It is more than a legal code or a moral standard – because the letter kills but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6). God’s way, truth and life are expressed not in a lengthy scroll but in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ as Jesus Himself declares in John 14:6:
[Jhn 14:6 KJV] 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
When we look at the darkness, even the gross darkness of the world around us, we wonder if godlessness will continue to dominate the world scene leading to an apocalyptic end – BUT make no mistake – the promise of God is sure, there will come a day that the nations will beat their swords into plowshares and the spears into pruning hooks – when the mechanisms of destruction and the war machines of the earth will be turned to the benefit of mankind and not her destruction – and you and I will be there to see it!
Verse 4 says every man will sit under his vine tree and under his fig tree. What does this mean? The vine speaks of Jesus Himself who said in John 15:1 “I am the vine…” The fig tree is representative of the nation of Israel itself, restored and established as the preeminent nation over all the nations of the earth not as a Christ rejecting people but as a people ruled over by the resurrected, returning Messiah who will implement His unbendable rule over mankind for a 1000 years will all the saints serving as His administrators and ambassadors.
During this time as v. 5 says all people will walk everyone in the name of His God. This is not just something for another time, but in a measure just as the kingdom will ultimately physically come, it has also coming in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and it is coming in us daily. We partake in a measure of the millennial grace of God to the degree that our lives are yielded to the rule of God in the person of the Lord Jesus. The kingdom has come, it is coming and it will ultimately and fully come in its eschatological fulfillment and the close of the age of man and the beginning of eternity future.
The promise is that God will assemble those that are halt, and those that have been driven out and afflicted and raise up His remnant, even those that have been captive and dispersed throughout the nations – speaking of the restoration not of a godless Jewry, but a nation of the descendants of the children of Abraham who will say “blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord…” Verse 8 says the “first dominion” will be reestablished. This speaks of the dominion that God gave to Adam and Eve in the garden in Ge. 1:26. The consequences of the fall will be completely reversed and its effects obliterated. Because of these great promises the prophet calls upon the people in v. 9 to cry aloud. He asks the question “is there no king in thee?”. This is speaking not of an earthly king but of the Messiah who was present in the blood line of the line of the kings of David even at the dark time that Micah is prophesying against that very lineage. The call of the prophet is to travail in prayer like a woman giving birth – because even though the nation will go captive to Babylon they will be brought back – which happened after 70 years of captivity.
Verse 11 states further that even though the nations of the earth consistently range themselves and set themselves against the nation of God that they do not have His mind and cannot overthrow His determinate will to raise up His people and bring forth from their lineage the king who shall rule not just over a natural kingdom of Judah, but over all the earth, whose gain shall be substance to the Lord and to His consecrated servants. This last clause in v. 13 speaks of the wealth of the earth laid up for the just and transferred to kingdom purpose to the enrichment of the people of God and the furtherance of the gospel in behalf of the suffering and the impoverished. What is to be our response in reading this? To obey the command of v. 9-10; to cry aloud and make it a purpose in our hearts to intercede and pray as Jesus taught us to pray – “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” both in our lives now and including in the scope of our prayers the subjugation of all the earth to the sovereignty of a soon coming king.